The conventional open face spinning reel has a bail pivoted on the flyer which extends over the line spool to engage the line and wind it on the spool during retrieving, and the bail is flipped by the fisherman to an out-of-the-way position just before casting so that the line freely uncoils from the line spool during the cast. When the flyer is rotated to retrieve the line, the bail automatically flips back to retrieving position.
In my copending application Ser. No. 896,792, filed Apr. 17, 1978, there is disclosed an open face spinning reel which utilizes a line pick-up finger fixedly supported on the flyer in such manner as to move helically about the spool due to the compound movement resulting from relative rotation and axial reciprocation of the flyer, so as to move the finger from a line pick-up position to a position clear of the spool.